Scottish Executive

Access to Information

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many requests for information it has received under the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information .

Mr Jim Wallace: Details of the number of requests received under the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information during the period 1 July to 31 December 1999 were provided in my answer to question S1W-5908. I have today placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre a monitoring report on the operation of the code for the calendar year 2000. This report will also be placed on the Scottish Executive website.

Agriculture

Mr John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made or is making to Her Majesty’s Government and the EU Commission on the provision of compensation in the aftermath of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive like the UK Government has announced that any farmer who has animals slaughtered to control disease will be compensated at full market value.

  The Scottish Executive has agreed with the UK Government that representation should be made to the EU to draw down additional, optional agrimoney payments worth approximately £24 million to the industry in Scotland. This has been taken forward.

Agriculture

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to identify the original source of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.

Ross Finnie: The State Veterinary Service is looking at all relevant epidemiological issues including the original source of the outbreak. In the meantime all possible steps are being taken to contain and eradicate the disease.

Agriculture

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13209 by Ross Finnie on 22 February 2001, why it considers that there is no need for specific research into the impact of farmers’ markets and whether the work done by its Rural Affairs Department, Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society in supporting the formation of the Scottish Association of Farmers’ Markets is having a positive impact and providing value for money.

Ross Finnie: My answer to question S1W-13209 on 22 February said that we do not consider that there is a need for specific research into the impact of farmers’ markets at the present time. It did not rule out such research in the future.

  The Scottish Association of Farmers’ Markets, whose formation we supported, has only been in existence for a few months. They will need time to develop a number of initiatives, and it would be more appropriate to examine the impact of these on the markets at a later stage.

  Similarly, it is too early to say whether the assistance provided in supporting the formation of the association is having a positive impact.

Community Care

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the facilities in Scotland which provide supported accommodation for people with learning difficulties who need full-time permanent care, broken down by local authority area.

Malcolm Chisholm: Scottish Homes produced a supported accommodation database, SCOTSPEN, in March 1999 reflecting the provision of supported accommodation as at 31 March 1998. The database is the result of a national census of supported accommodation providers. It provides information about the type and nature of housing and support provision for a broad range of adults with community care needs.

  The document is available from Scottish Homes Research and Information, Thistle House, 91 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh.

Council Tax

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the banding arrangements for council tax.

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans for a revaluation of properties for council tax purposes.

Peter Peacock: We have no such plans at present. However, these matters fall within the remit of the current inquiry by the Local Government Committee into local government finance. We will give careful consideration to any recommendation the committee makes about them.

Dental Care

Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why this year’s annual Scottish dental epidemiological survey has been cancelled.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Dental Epidemiological Survey was not completed this year due to difficulties in the interpretation by some local authorities of the Data Protection Act. This has led to a potential decrease in the accuracy and quality of the data obtained from this survey.

  These surveys are an essential part of the planning of dental services in Scotland and it was considered inappropriate to publish data of doubtful accuracy and quality. It is anticipated that these issues will be resolved and that future surveys will continue.

Dental Care

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in establishing a dental training link between Dundee Dental School and the Grampian Health Board area.

Susan Deacon: Outreach dental student education from Dundee Dental School has been established as a pilot in Tayside. Once the success of this pilot has been confirmed this initiative will be extended to Grampian and Highland.

Dentists

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why dentists who do not achieve £25,000 gross earnings per annum due to working in remote and rural areas are excluded from commitment payments.

Susan Deacon: The commitment scheme has been developed between the UK Health Departments and the British Dental Association, in a response to a recommendation by the independent Doctors and Dentists Review Body (DDRB). In making its recommendation on commitment payments, the DDRB considered that the scheme should: reward past and present commitment to the NHS; require a high threshold of NHS gross fee earnings; commence the first payments to general dental practitioners after about 10 years service in the NHS, and provide a further boost to NHS earnings at a later stage in GDPs’ careers once again based on length of service criteria.

  The NHS gross fee earnings threshold of £25,000 was set following discussions between the Health Departments and the British Dental Association.

  I am aware that there have been some concerns about whether the commitment scheme is achieving its underlying purpose in areas where there is limited population, and have asked officials to review this during the coming financial year.

Doctors

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans for a scheme, similar to the graduate entry scheme in England, for a "top-up" degree in order to train more doctors.

Susan Deacon: As indicated in Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change , the Executive will shortly undertake a fundamental review of medical workforce planning. This review will address the possibility of establishing fast-track graduate-entry medical degree courses in Scotland.

Education

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average size is of (a) a primary one, (b) a primary two, (c) a primary three and (d) a primary four class.

Mr Jack McConnell: The table below sets out the latest available average class size in (a) primary one, (b) primary two, (c) primary three and (d) primary four from the 1999 school census. The figures relate to single stage classes in publicly funded schools.

  


Primary 1 
  

24 
  



Primary 2 
  

25.4 
  



Primary 3 
  

26.4 
  



Primary 4 
  

27.0

Education

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-2561 by Mr Jack McConnell on 23 November 2000, what proportion of the candidates who sat Higher Mathematics in each of the last five years were sitting the exam for the first time.

Mr Jack McConnell: The information requested is set out in the table:

  


Proportion of Higher Maths Candidates Sitting Exam for 
  the First Time 
  



1996-97 
  

1995-96 
  

1997-98 
  

1998-99 
  

1999-2000 
  



83% 
  

83% 
  

84% 
  

83% 
  

Not yet available 
  



  Data for 1999-2000 is not yet available.

Education

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of candidates sitting Higher exams sat (a) SCE Higher physics in (i) 1997-98 and (ii) 1998-99 and (b) either SCE Higher physics or National Qualification Higher level physics in 1999-2000 and, in each case, what proportion of the candidates sitting physics were sitting it for the first time.

Mr Jack McConnell: The information requested is set out in the table:

  


1997-98 
  

1998-99 
  

1999-2000 
  



Proportion of all Higher candidates Sitting 
  Higher Physics 
  



19% 
  

18% 
  

17% 
  



Proportion of Higher Physics Candidates 
  Sitting Exam for the First Time 
  



86% 
  

87% 
  

Not yet available 
  



  The figures for 1999-2000 are taken from provisional pre-appeal data, and, at this time, the proportion of first time candidates is not yet available.

Employment

Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making on compiling and publishing unemployment statistics on a more localised basis than the travel to work areas currently used.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Currently, only claimant count unemployment figures are published below large unitary authority areas. Numbers of claimants unemployed in 1991 wards or postcode sectors are already published monthly via the NOMIS database. This is available via the Parliament’s Reference Centre, and the staff are happy to help get required figures.

  The Scottish Executive has plans to publish a claimant rate for local areas over the next year. In addition, the Scottish Executive will fund a neighbourhood statistics project. Over the years 2001-02 to 2003-04, the Executive will spend £7 million to develop statistics covering many aspects of society and the economy at a very local level. Planned here are many labour market statistics, including the internationally standard ILO measure of unemployment.

Enterprise

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to investigate the closure of the Millennium Cellular Services call centre at Rosemount Business Park, Royston, Glasgow.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive regrets the closure of Millennium Cellular Services. Our sympathies are with those who have lost their jobs. We understand that the decision to close in no way reflects on the quality or productivity of the workforce.

  Following the closure the Executive has been in contact with Scottish Enterprise and the local economic development agency.

Enterprise

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Millennium Cellular Services received any assistance from it in the current financial year or in 1999-2000.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Millennium Cellular Services have received no financial assistance from the Scottish Executive.

Enterprise

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty’s Government to ensure that workers who lost their jobs at the Millennium Cellular Services in Glasgow receive outstanding wages and redundancy payments.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including closures and redundancy policy.

Enterprise

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the abolition of advance corporation tax on pension funds has had on the budget of Scottish Enterprise and each local enterprise company in each year since its introduction in July 1999.

Ms Wendy Alexander: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I have asked the Chairman to respond to the member direct. A copy of the reply will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Environment

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much untreated sewage has entered the River Clyde in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr Sam Galbraith: No untreated sewage is discharged into the River Clyde down to the Erskine Bridge except through combined sewer overflows (CSOs) which discharge dilute screened sewage at times of high rainfall. It is not possible to accurately quantify the volume of these intermittent discharges.

External Affairs

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action arising from his responsibilities for external affairs the Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs has taken in relation to the cancellation of the Taoiseach’s visit to Carfin, Lanarkshire.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive was not involved in making arrangements for the Taoiseach’s visit to Carfin, Lanarkshire. Following the cancellation, the First Minister and the Secretary of State for Scotland jointly invited the Taoiseach to Scotland later this year.

Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will eliminate postcode prescribing of the three Alzheimer’s disease drugs, Aricept, Exelon and Reminyl following the National Institute for Clinical Excellence’s cessation of the practice in England and Wales.

Susan Deacon: The Health Technology Board for Scotland is currently working on a process to comment on all final appraisals from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE). Treatments for Alzheimer’s disease will be the first topic to go through the process and their comment is expected in the next few weeks.

  As an interim measure, the Scottish Executive has asked local Drug and Therapeutics Committees to re-examine their advice to their own clinicians about the use of their drugs, taking into account the NICE guidance.

Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to allocate additional resources to health boards to ensure that drugs effective in the treatment of Alzheimer’s can be prescribed without impacting on other services.

Susan Deacon: Health boards’ unified budgets include provision for the cost of prescribed drugs and are set to allow for the introduction of new drugs and the greater use of existing therapies. It is for health boards to agree with Primary Care Trusts the amount to be set aside for prescribing and the contingency arrangements for any unexpected expenditure fluctuations.

Health

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many secondary schools employ a full-time nurse during school hours.

Susan Deacon: School nurses are not employed directly by schools, but by the NHS.

  Deployment of school nurses is a matter for NHS boards to decide locally on the basis of assessed needs.

Health Promotion

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what initiatives exist for local authorities and schools to promote diabetes prevention, in particular through healthier meals and daily exercise.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Diet Action Plan Eating for Health and the White Paper Towards a Healthier Scotland provide the framework for action to promote healthy eating and physical activity.

  Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change reiterated the role of local authorities and schools through the commitment to support, via the Health Improvement Fund, the provision of fruit for infants, and breakfast clubs and fruit/salad bars in school settings. In addition, the Physical Activity Task Force will be tasked with producing a strategy to increase physical activity in all age groups in Scotland.

Health Promotion

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is taking any initiatives to decrease the promotion of food and drinks which could contribute to the development of diabetes.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Diet Action Plan, Eating for Health , promotes the provision of healthy food choices and health education in order to encourage individuals to choose a balanced diet. This, along with physical exercise, helps to prevent obesity and, thus, the development of non-insulin dependent diabetes in later life.

Judicial Appointments

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current position is regarding the judicial appointments machinery following the consultation exercise last year.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have announced today that the Scottish Executive has decided to establish a Judicial Appointments Board.

  The board will be chaired by a senior non-legal figure, and will have other lay members, who will be appointed following Nolan public appointment procedures. It will also contain representatives of the judiciary and legal professions, so that lay and legal members will be equally balanced.

  The board will be set up on an administrative basis, but when parliamentary time allows it will be put on a firm statutory footing. Its role will be to advise the First Minister on names of new appointees to the office of Judge of the Court of Session, Sheriff Principal and Sheriff (both permanent and part-time Sheriffs). It will determine its own procedures, but these will be subject to guidance from the Scottish ministers.

  All appointments will be advertised and appointments will be made solely on merit. The board’s procedures will include a requirement that the legally qualified members are satisfied as to the legal capacity of those recommended.

  The board will make its recommendation to the First Minister, who will consult the Lord President of the Court of Session (as he is obliged to do by the Scotland Act 1998). The First Minister will expect to accept the advice of the board unless there is good reason to the contrary. The Lord Advocate will no longer routinely advise on appointments, but will advise the First Minister in any case of uncertainty about the board’s recommendations.

Justice

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will issue guidance on whether all local authorities are now required to act in accordance with Lord Hardie’s judgement in the case of MacGregor v South Lanarkshire Council and what implications it expects the judgement to have for local authorities.

Malcolm Chisholm: South Lanarkshire Council have indicated that they intend to appeal Lord Hardie’s decision and, thus, it would not be appropriate to comment directly on the case in the meantime. The Scottish Executive will decide whether or not councils require additional guidance in due course.

Lifelong Learning

Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12738 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 6 February 2001, why 269 of the applications submitted to the end of December 2000 for Individual Learning Accounts were rejected and whether detailed explanations of the reasons for rejection can be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The total of Individual Learning Account applications rejected, to the end of December 2000, was 169 (0.4% of applications submitted). The most common reasons for rejection were failure to complete all mandatory sections of the application form (44%), ineligibility through not being resident in Scotland or not being a UK or EU national (34%) and the supply of inconsistent information (15%). Applicants are informed of the reasons for an application being rejected. In the majority of cases applicants will be able to reapply, providing the correct information.

  Detailed explanations of the reasons for each individual rejection are not collated centrally.

Local Government

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to encourage local authorities to allow access to facilities in their area on an equal basis regardless of place of residence.

Peter Peacock: Local authorities are independent corporate bodies responsible for their own charging structures.

Midwifery

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12329 by Susan Deacon on 6 February 2001, how the contracted number of midwifery students at Glasgow Caledonian University was calculated.

Susan Deacon: The annual Student Nurse Intake Planning exercise takes into account the overall supply and demand of nurses and midwives in Scotland through a workforce planning survey and modelling exercise. This informs the total number of places for nursing and midwifery students in contracted higher education institutions in Scotland.

  The total is then divided between the seven institutions, following discussions between the Scottish Executive and the institutions themselves. Year-on-year changes in each institution’s intake are usually minimised in the interests of continuity, but the allocations may also take account of factors such as the capacity of each institution and its local NHS partners to provide the education, local NHS demand for qualified nurses and midwives, and local application rates.

Midwifery

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12330 by Susan Deacon on 6 February 2001, whether it has any plans to increase the number of student midwifery course intakes at Glasgow Caledonian University after 2001-02.

Susan Deacon: The annual Student Nurse Intake Planning (SNIP) exercise assesses the level of student intake required to provide the nursing and midwifery workforce which employers expect to need in five years’ time. The SNIP2001 exercise is currently under way and will affect the pre-registration nursing and midwifery diploma course intakes for 2002-03.

Ministerial Correspondence

Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Health and Community Care will reply to my letter of 22 December 2000 regarding treatment of mesothelioma.

Susan Deacon: A reply to this letter was issued on 2 March 2001.

Organ Retention

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether current regulations place any restrictions on the cremation of human organs or body parts.

Malcolm Chisholm: It is not for the Executive to interpret the statute. But, as The Independent Review Group on the Retention of Organs at Post Mortem, chaired by Professor Sheila McLean, noted in its recently published report, it appears there is nothing in the Cremation (Scotland) Regulations 1935 to support the view that body parts may not be cremated. The report also urges the British Cremation Authority to deal with the reported problem of some crematoria appearing unwilling to cremate individual organs. I have asked officials to consider whether there is a need to amend the Regulations in order to remove any lack of clarity on this point.

Parliamentary Questions

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the substantive answer to question S1W-13110 will be given prior to the Stage 1 debate on the Housing (Scotland) Bill on 14 March 2001.

Jackie Baillie: This question was answered on 6 March 2001.

Planning

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken or plans to take to ensure that car parking at Glasgow Royal Infirmary does not desecrate in any way the North Burial Ground.

Malcolm Chisholm: This is a matter for North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Public Ministerial Meetings

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings have so far been held as part of the public meetings exercise involving the First Minister and Deputy First Minister and where and when any such meetings took place.

Mr Tom McCabe: One, in Inverness on Monday 11 December 2000.

Public Ministerial Meetings

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any future meetings are planned as part of the public meetings exercise involving the First Minister and Deputy First Minister and when any such meetings will take place.

Mr Tom McCabe: A series of meetings is planned but specific locations and dates have yet to be identified.

Red Tape Review

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made with the implementation of the Red Tape Review recommendations, particularly in relation to communications with farmers.

Ross Finnie: Good progress has been made on the Red Tape Review recommendations. I have today issued an external communications strategy which responds to a major recommendation of the Red Tape Review Report. This covers all aspects of communications between SERAD and producers, including the future introduction of electronic systems for claiming subsidies. It sets out actions for the future with targets for delivery. Progress reports will issue every six months.

  Also published today is a report of the SERAD commissioned research into the burdens of form filling on small-scale producers – fulfilling a further recommendation of the Red Tape Review Report. This research, carried out by George Street Research Ltd, highlights the central importance of IACS subsidies to producers and identifies a number of improvements which can be made to communications with producers.

  A table is also published today showing the latest position on implementation of the Red Tape Panel recommendations. All the main recommendations have now been implemented or are in process of implementation. The remaining recommendations – which mainly require changes to EU legislation – are also being actively pursued.

  Copies of the external communications strategy and of the updated Red Tape Report implementation table are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre. A copy of the George Street Research Report is available on the SE website.

Schools

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has asked Dumfries and Galloway Council to carry out a "manageable rationalisation of school buildings"; what is meant by this expression, and whether it has held any discussions with the council on this issue.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive has not held discussions with Dumfries and Galloway Council on school rationalisation and has made no specific requests of the council in that regard.

  I understand, however, that the council are reviewing school provision in the context of the possible development of a Public/Private Partnership (PPP) for refurbishment of school buildings in their area. I announced on 20 February 2001 the distribution of a total of £5 million to 21 education authorities to enable them to take forward work on feasibility studies into possible further school PPP projects. This included an allocation of £466,000 to Dumfries and Galloway Council.

Schools

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on school meals and schoolchildren’s nutrition.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Diet Action Plan, Eating for Health , made a number of recommendations, including the nutritional guidelines for catering specifications for the public sector, which are specifically aimed at schools and local authorities.

  In recent months, the Social Justice Annual Report 2000, Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change and Working together for Scotland: A Programme for Government have each reiterated the role schools can play in improving children’s diet through the commitment to supporting, through the Health Improvement Fund, the provision of breakfast clubs and fruit/salad bars in school settings.

  In addition, advice provided by the Scottish Executive gives health education, including nutritional education, a secure place within the curriculum and seeks to ensure that it is provided in all schools.

  The primary responsibility for the delivery and management of nutritional education within the curriculum, the quality of school meals and the provision of any additional services such as breakfast clubs rests with education authorities.

Schools

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what academic qualifications are required of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools.

Mr Jack McConnell: Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools (HMI) are normally required to have an honours degree or an equivalent qualification. In exceptional circumstances, proven success in a relevant educational sector may be taken into account in assessing eligibility for particular posts. HMI working in the pre-school, primary and secondary sectors are required to hold a relevant teaching qualification. Many HMI also have other postgraduate qualifications.

Schools

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how individual Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools are appraised in their work.

Mr Jack McConnell: As Scottish Executive staff, Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools (HMI) are subject to established Scottish Executive appraisal procedures. All HMI have a job description with personal objectives to be overtaken each year. Their performance is evaluated on an ongoing basis. Formal reviews are undertaken every six months, with an annual appraisal report determining overall performance markings.

Scottish Qualifications Authority

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs will next make a report to the Parliament on the Scottish Qualifications Authority’s progress in delivering the Diet of examinations for 2001.

Mr Jack McConnell: I have today written to the Convenor of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee enclosing the Executive’s second report on progress towards implementing the actions agreed following the publication of the Deloitte Touche report on 3 November 2000. Copies have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. no. 12023).

  I have also provided the Convenor of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee with a copy of the Executive’s response to that committee’s Exam Results Inquiry report (11th report, 2000) and have written to the Convenor of the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee enclosing a copy of the Executive’s response to that committee’s Report on the Inquiry into the Governance of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (sixth report, 2000). Copies of the Executive’s responses have also been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. no.’s 12024 and 12025).

Scottish Transport Group Pension Scheme

Iain Smith (North-East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it now plans to publish specific proposals regarding the £100 million ex-gratia payment to former employees of the Scottish Bus Group.

Sarah Boyack: Scottish ministers are considering the basis for distribution and following the wind-up of the Scottish Transport Group we will be bringing forward proposals on distribution for the approval of the Scottish Parliament.

Teacher Training

Mike Watson (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that every teacher in pre-school, primary, secondary and tertiary education is given training in epilepsy awareness.

Mr Jack McConnell: Guidelines for initial teacher education in Scotland, revised in 1998, require that courses prepare teachers entering the pre-school, primary and secondary sectors to be responsive to the needs of all pupils in respect of health and general well being.

  While these guidelines offer the scope to address the issue of epilepsy awareness, the breadth of initial teacher education programmes limits the time available for consideration of any one specific topic. The guidelines are not prescriptive and each training institution develops their own course programme. Good practice guidance on the administration of medicine in schools is being prepared. The guidance recommends that school staff should have general awareness training of a number of medical conditions including epilepsy.

  It is the responsibility of local authorities, as employers, to ensure a wide range of continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities is available for teachers. The CPD needs of teachers will be assessed annually and will reflect national priorities as well as the priorities of the schools and teacher. This should include a range of activities that ensures teachers are well prepared to deal with pupils’ health issues.

  A teaching qualification is not a prerequisite for tertiary education and training in epilepsy awareness would be a matter for the employer.

Tourism

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking in order to make the current system of funding for area tourist boards (ATBs) more effective.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: We have ensured that the core funding that visitscotland provides to ATBs is guaranteed for a three-year-period. We are monitoring closely local authority funding decisions as we promised to do in A New Strategy for Scottish Tourism , published in February 2000.

Transport

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the £7.5 million funding for the redevelopment of the Partick interchange.

Sarah Boyack: The Partick Interchange project is a matter for the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority (SPTA). SPTA was awarded £3.5 million from the Public Transport Fund with the remainder of the funding to be met by SPTA and Railtrack.

Transport

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what role it has had in the discussions between Railtrack plc and the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority over the legal ownership of the Partick interchange.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive has no role in the discussions between Railtrack PLC and the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority about ownership of the Partick Interchange, which is entirely a matter for the two parties concerned.

Transport

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the development of the Partick interchange remains on target for completion by the end of 2002.

Sarah Boyack: The development of the Partick Interchange is a matter for Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority (SPTA). SPTA currently estimates that the project will be completed in December 2002.

University Research

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much each university will receive in total under the Scottish Science Research Investment Fund.

Ms Wendy Alexander: A total of £64.6 million will be allocated to higher education institutions in Scotland by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council. The allocations to individual higher education institutions over the two years 2002-03 and 2003-04 are as follows:

  


Institution 
  

Scottish Science Research Investment Fund
2002-03 to 2003-04
(£) 
  



Aberdeen, University of 
  

5,371,000 
  



Abertay Dundee, University of 
  

243,000 
  



Dundee, University of 
  

7,098,000 
  



Edinburgh College of Art 
  

89,000 
  



Edinburgh, University of 
  

19,499,000 
  



Glasgow Caledonian University 
  

640,000 
  



Glasgow School of Art 
  

25,000 
  



Glasgow, University of 
  

14,561,000 
  



Heriot-Watt University 
  

3,587,000 
  



Napier University 
  

604,000 
  



Northern College of Education 
  

25,000 
  



Paisley, University of 
  

222,000 
  



Queen Margaret University College 
  

265,000 
  



Robert Gordon University 
  

319,000 
  



St, Andrews, University of 
  

3,299,000 
  



Stirling, University of 
  

1,933,000 
  



Strathclyde, University of 
  

6,792,000 
  



Total 
  

64,572,000 
  



  £44.6 million of this £64.6 million has been provided by the Office of Science and Technology through the Science Research Investment Fund.

University Research

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what methodology was used to calculate the distribution amongst universities of funding from the Scottish Science Research Investment Fund.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The methodology used to calculate the distribution of funding of the Scottish Science Research Investment Fund was described in a Circular Letter issued to higher education institutions by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) on 1 March 2001 (HE/05/2001).

  Allocations to higher education institutions were calculated using a straightforward formula agreed by the UK higher education funding councils. The allocations were linked to research excellence and the volume of research. 50% of the funding was calculated on the basis of the funding from the SHEFC Research Assessment Exercise-based grant. The other 50% of the funding was calculated on the basis of the total external research income received by institutions. There is a minimum allocation of £25,000 for institutions that are eligible to receive funding through SRIF.

  The calculations were based on those areas of the science research base falling within the remit of the Office of Science and Technology.

Waste Management

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all of the facilities in Scotland licensed for the disposal of clinical waste.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The licensing of facilities for the disposal of clinical and other wastes is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The information requested is held on the agency’s public register.

Waste Management

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering the introduction of grant aid to encourage householders to upgrade their septic tank systems to EU standards.

Mr Sam Galbraith: We have no plans at present to introduce grants for upgrading septic tanks.

Waste Management

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering the introduction of grant aid for alternative sewerage schemes in rural areas where septic tank systems are the only current option.

Mr Sam Galbraith: We have no plans at present to introduce grants for alternative sewerage schemes in rural areas.

Water Supply

Janis Hughes (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12353 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 21 January 2001, when it last met the Health and Safety Executive and European Commission to discuss the extension of the ban on lead solder in domestic plumbing and what progress was made.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive has not met the Health and Safety Executive and the European Union to discuss the extension of the ban on lead solder and, although there has been written representation to both, no progress has been made. We are continuing to peruse this matter.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Scottish Parliament Publications

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Presiding Officer how many annual subscriptions to Official Report – Meetings of the Parliament have been taken out.

Sir David Steel: 178

Scottish Parliament Publications

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Presiding Officer how many annual subscriptions to What’s Happening In The Scottish Parliament have been taken out.

Sir David Steel: 266

Scottish Parliament Publications

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Presiding Officer how many annual subscriptions to Official Report – Written Answers have been taken out.

Sir David Steel: 182